ARCADIA  As California’s thoroughbred owners met Sunday at Santa Anita to discuss pressing issue such as where to race and train horses when Hollywood Park closes later this year, there were developments relating to Del Mar.

The Thoroughbred Owners of California announced that Del Mar will boost its inducements in its "Ship And Win" program, now in its third year. Owners who ship horses from other states into Del Mar to race this summer will continue to get a one-time $1,000 bonus when the horse makes its first start. But owners also will earn an additional 33 percent in any purse money from the first race. That’s up from 25 percent last year and up from 20 percent the first year. Last year Del Mar drew 137 shippers, according Del Mar vice president of marketing Craig Dado. He said they tracked the horses after the meeting, and they went on to make an additional 318 starts in Southern California.

In other developments from the TOC meeting at Santa Anita Sunday:

When Hollywood Park closes at the end of this year, 1,200 horses will be displaced. Fairplex Park in Pomona has submitted a proposal that will require the TOC to pay off a $20 million bond over 30 years to cover the needed expansion of the race track and barns. San Luis Rey Downs in Bonsall, taken back over by the Stronach Group, also could be used for training with a turf training course and 500 stalls. Del Mar, Santa Anita and Fairplex would pick up additional race dates. Any decision, which TOC Chairman Mike Pegram said must come soon, will be, as board member Mike Wellman said, “the most difficult decision that we ever have to deal with. Sacrifices will have to be made, and there is no easy answer.” He added that the industry has to work together for a solution. Trainer John Sadler said the bottom line is there’s going to “be more racing at Santa Anita and more racing at Del Mar. These California horsemen and trainers are resilient. I don’t see this as a glass half empty deal.”

Trainer Jim Cassidy, president of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, said there’s a need for 2,800 stalls, but Santa Anita can only supply 1,800, and San Luis Rey has 575. “We’re still going to need another 500 to 600 stalls,” Cassidy said.

The TOC board met Thursday, but no announcement was made about any solution to the closing of Hollywood Park.

“It’s time to bring this baby to a head,” Pegram said. “We have less options. Hollywood Park is going away. Farms are going away. Our horse inventory is struggling. There are only a couple of places we can go.”

The TOC board continues to oppose exchange wagering, the practice of betting a horse to lose. Pegram said the owners are concerned about cannibalization of other bets, corruption and fair distribution of the money.

The TOC is monitoring legislation regarding horse racing. SB 51 would legalize internet poker. Another bill, still unnamed, would address the adverse effects of Hollywood Park closing to racing. Horse Racing United was formed to ensure that horse racing interests get a fair share from any legislation. Racing lobbyists are having to match the money spent by Native American interests. All of racing has $250,000 for lobbying money compared to the $1 million each California tribe has in PAC (political action committee) money.

Addressing a write-in question from horseplayer advocate Andy Asaro, Pegram said there is no chance of reducing the owner’s takeout from bets because the money is used to increase purses to attract bigger fields, more horses. He said SB 1072 raised the takeout on two- and three-horse wagers. “That helped raise purses by $20 million in the last two years,” Pegram said. “That’s a 17 percent increase over the previous year." He said losing that money would cripple Southern California racing and destroy Northern California racing.